Wall of dreams

On February 25, the New York Knicks and Garden of Dreams Foundation alongside Urban Word NYC travelled to Washington, D.C. as part of the “Dream Big Speak Out” program, which is designed to inspire students to engage and reflect on the African American experience as well as how Black History inspires our everyday lives.

While in D.C., the students from Garden of Dreams partner organization, SCO Family of Services, toured the White House and visited several national monuments including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

“It’s an eye-opening and life changing experience allowing them to create more amazing art; because the idea is to get them to dream big,” said Jive Poetic of Urban Word NYC.

One of the Dream Big Speak Out students commented on the impact of seeing the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the connections he was able to make not only as an artist, but as a person.

“I will use these quotes as a means of bettering myself so I took a photo of them and made sure I understood each of them,” said Dream Big Speak Out student Lorenzo Cooper.

Following the Washington, D.C. trip, the New York Knicks, Garden of Dreams, and Urban Word NYC hosted the second annual Dream Big Speak Out Open Mic Event on February 29 at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse.

After eight weeks of meetings at the Urban Word offices, the 13 Dream Big Speak Out students showcased their talent on stage in front of a packed audience that included New York Knicks legends John Starks and Larry Johnson, current New York Knicks players Cleanthony Early and Kyle O’Quinn, and New York Liberty alumna Kym Hampton.

“It is just so awesome to see how talented these young people are and it’s an awesome platform for them to be able to speak in a positive way- to give a voice to who they are and what they are capable of doing,” said New York Liberty alumna Kym Hampton

During their weekly sessions, the students along with the Urban Word staff explored different aspects of history, poetry, music, and popular culture to help the teens cultivate their voices. During the open mic event, the 13 students utilized different forms of expression including spoken word and rap.

“You heard what’s inside these young people and the truth is spoken so you can see them light up after talking about what is going on in their lives,” said New York Knicks alumnus John Starks. “You have to thank Garden of Dreams for giving them this platform to express themselves.”